


A Fear of Shadows

by PeachesNCreamBarbie



Series: Ascension Divergence [1]
Category: The Alienist (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Dark ending if I may add, Gen, I'll accept my clown card now, I'm very nervous to post this ahaha, Implied Stalking, Kidnapping, Mild Hurt/Comfort, My First Work in This Fandom, Not Canon Compliant, Out of Character, Spoilers for s1e06-7, Stevie is not having a good time, Worry, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 20:21:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21764722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeachesNCreamBarbie/pseuds/PeachesNCreamBarbie
Summary: Stevie had experienced many things in his life, but nothing compared to the fear and dread he felt after the night at The Slide.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: Ascension Divergence [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1641058
Comments: 9
Kudos: 20





	A Fear of Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! I've been a huge Alienist fan for a while and recently rewatched the series, which finally gave me the confidence to post one of my stories! I love episode 6 and 7 and wanted to explore some alternative routes as to what happened, expand on the sketch scene in episode 7, and delve into Stevie's feelings (fears, rather) regarding that night. I hope this story isn't too bad and that you all can enjoy it!!

Stevie remembers the night so vividly; like a painting on display. It’s hard to forget, with that slimy hand reaching up to touch his face and a voice akin to that of a beast.

He tosses in his sleep, frightful of what may come to be. The killer was unpredictable as far as he knew. With every day and night that had past, he couldn’t help but wonder: _“Am I the next body to end up on a bridge?”_ The drawings John had sketched of the first murder scene were horrific. Words couldn’t begin to describe how disturbing they were to him, and he had seen some things in his life.

Stevie shudders at the memory. To think that he could have been next had John not stepped in… He stops himself from thinking any further, turning his head to face the window. When he looks at it, his heart stops for a mere moment.

It was slightly ajar, his curtains moving in the breeze coming in. Adrenaline pumps through his veins as he jumps out of bed, slamming the window back down. Breathing heavily, Stevie moves the curtains, looking out of the window for any sign of the killer.

All that seems to show is the night sky and the green grass.

Stevie frowns, stepping back from the window and letting out a huff.

Sleeping would do him some good. Perhaps losing himself in his dreams would allow him to forget that night ever happened.

////

Dr. Kreizler’s eyes have terrible bags underneath them, sticking out like a sore thumb as he paces around the room. Hundreds of sketches lay beside him and on the floor with what John believed to be the killer.

He doesn’t want to look at them and see those dark eyes staring at him. They haunted him that previous night and he could barely sleep after finding his window open.

John pinches the bridge of his nose. They’re all exhausted and on the edge, with thoughts of “What-If” running amongst them.

“What were the shapes of his eyes again?” John is quiet, having cooled down from his argument with Dr. Kreizler. Another sketch is crumpled up beside him, but Stevie feels it was one of the few that was somewhat accurate.

He inhales deeply. “They were narrow and bunched up, as I said. I...I can’t really remember much.” Stevie fidgets with the dice in his hand, distracting himself as best as he can.

Mary stands to the side, her face forlorn as she glances at Stevie. He wants to go back to his room and try to sleep again, but there are things to be done and he feels the least he can do is offer a description of that awful man. Dr. Kreizler sighs.

“What else can you remember of the man, Stevie? Was there anything significant about him?”

He thinks about it for a second, trying to remember what else there was besides the eyes and his forehead.

His hair was unkempt, he was rather tall, and-.

“His face...for a moment he looked like he was in pain,” Stevie whispers, glancing at John, who raises an eyebrow at the statement.

“In pain? Did he have a wound on his face?” John asks another question. They’re practically running around in circles with the description of the killer and Stevie feels that there is no end in sight.

“No, not that I saw.”

There’s a collective sigh in the living room as John shakes his head. “Well, what do we do now?”

Dr. Kreizler looks over at him and Stevie thinks he’s disappointed. They’d worked hard on the case and it made sense that they would be. He looks back at John, his arms folded over his chest. “We continue on. This man could be anywhere.”

Sadly, Stevie agrees, with fears from the previous night creeping back up in him.

////

He sits beside Cyrus on the small chair, head hanging low. Dr. Kreizler had already left after apologizing to both of them for putting them in harm’s way. Stevie didn’t blame Dr. Kreizler for what happened. It was purely because of a man who was…

Well, what exactly was he? Human? His face twists into another frown. Thinking about the entire situation for too long annoys him. Why couldn’t they stop him? Did the bait plan even work out despite him getting away at the end?

Cyrus notices the look on his face and clears his throat. “What’s the matter, Stevie? Everything alright?”

He perks up at the question. Had he been mumbling something?

“Oh, it’s nothing, sir. Just thinkin’ about the case is all.” Stevie shrugs it off as if it truly is nothing, but Cyrus can see right through his lies, like always.

“Are you sure?” His voice is low but calm. Stevie inhales deeply, knowing that he’ll have to tell the truth now. He turns in the chair.

“I...I’m afraid the killer is after me. The other night, I saw that my window was somewhat open. Cyrus, what if he’s coming after me because he couldn’t get me the other night?” His voice is growing faint, tears slowly forming in the corners of his eyes. Cyrus clicks his tongue, shaking his head.

“He won’t come for you as long as he knows you’re here. It’d be a risk for him to show himself around here, considering it is Dr. Kreizler’s home.” Stevie stares at him blankly, thinking about what he had said. Still, he has his doubts.

“But what if he doesn’t care about the risk? He saw my face...he knows who I am. He even knows what you and Dr. Kreizler look like! I can’t go to sleep at night knowing that he’s out there...somewhere.” Stevie wants to roll his eyes at how pathetic he sounds, but he fears for his life.

It’s silent for a moment before Cyrus speaks once more, smiling softly at Stevie. “You’ll be alright, Stevie. That man is never coming near this place whether he cares about the risk or not.”

He wants to believe it will be alright; he wants to believe that he’s truly safe in his room with Cyrus, Mary, and Dr. Kreizler. But it’s hard to believe that everything will be alright when it concerns a man who stops at nothing to get only a single kill.

////

The next day, Stevie finds it hard to concentrate on his chores, his mind wandering off to the fear of the killer taking a chance at the weak spot the three had that day. Dr. Kreizler and John went to Washington to investigate more about their suspect, leaving him, Cyrus, and Mary all alone in the home. He feared that they were vulnerable now since Cyrus was still recovering from his head injury.

He scrubs at the plate in his hands, his mind going in a loop of _“What if he climbs to your window and takes you?”_ or _“What if he murders Mary and Cyrus and then you?”_

It’s almost painful to think about the worst possibilities.

Stevie closes his eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself down. Mary is beside him, chopping up some vegetables for that night’s dinner. She seems content with being alone, smiling almost nonstop.

He sighs, setting the plate down. “Mary,” he blurts out, “do you think we’ll be alright tonight?”

She jumps at the sudden conversation, turning to him and nodding.

Stevie looks down at the ground, unsure. Something in his gut says that they won’t be safe. It boils to the top and it fills his throat, drowning out any affirmation that the others give him. Sara and Dr. Kreizler said that the killer had a certain pattern when it came to his murders, but he fears he may do something unpredictable. Stevie hates that he feels this way. He wants to drown out the noise with the sound of horseshoes on the street, distract himself with a game of cards, and sleep away the terrible feeling.

It’s been eating at him for days, only growing worse with Dr. Kreizler’s absence. Mary pats his shoulder softly, smiling down at him as a means to cheer him up. Had it been any other day, he would have smiled back, but it wasn’t.

Around the corner, something was lingering.

She walks back into the living room, leaving him in the small kitchen by himself. He stays there, eyes closed and hands balled into fists. There is no denying it anymore. He’s almost positive that something horrible will happen and he fears that nothing will be able to stop it.

////

Its deadly silent when he goes outside to the stables, his footsteps echoing around him. There’s no wind or the familiar sound of carriages going down the street, which sends a chill down his spine.

Mary was helping Cyrus get settled for bed, as Dr. Kreizler wasn’t back yet from his journey to Washington. He shoves his hands in his pockets, messing with his thumbs as he walks up to the large, brown horse. He wishes he could sleep, but the last thing on his to-do list is to brush the horse, which isn’t very difficult at all.

Stevie grabs the grooming brush, gently moving across the horse’s mane. He lets out a soft sigh, relaxing a little as the day is finally dwindling to an end. All of his worries were slowly fading as he stood there, his heart returning to its regular pace. Soon he would be in bed and able to have the best sleep of his life.

Closing his eyes, he laughs to himself. Cyrus was right. There really was nothing to worry about.

He steps back from the horse, ready to put the brush away when a large hand clasps over his mouth, jerking him backward. Stevie lets out a muffled cry, reaching up to pry the hand off of his mouth when he notices the face looking back at him.

In that instant, all of his worst fears came back to him. He digs his heels into the ground, even trying to bite the hand when a deep laugh echoes in his ear.

“You thought you could get away, didn’t you?”

Stevie narrows his eyes, ready to bite down even harder before his vision becomes blurry. He bites down weakly, determined to keep fighting. His eyes flutter slowly as he feels himself weakening.

The last thing he can remember is hearing the killer’s loud breathing and thinking to himself; _‘This is it. I’ll never see them again,’_ while being dragged away from the comfort of his home.

**Author's Note:**

> I've actually written more for the show, but this is the first one I'm posting!! I'm sorry it is short, but hopefully, you all enjoyed this!!❤


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